4.11. International and local travel

• 4.11.1. Flight bookings
• 4.11.2. Trusted travel agents
• 4.11.3. Travel agency ordering numbers sheet
• 4.11.4. Bookings made by authorised staff
• 4.11.5. Bookings made by participants
• 4.11.6. Local travel in origin country
• 4.11.7. Ground transportation in destination country
• 4.11.8. Transportation schedule

4.11.1. Flight bookings

Once participants have submitted their details in the Logistics Registration Form, and they do not require a visa or have an approved visa, the flight booking process begins.

The general rules of how to book a flight ticket under APC guidelines can be found in the Travel Expense Policy.

The Ops programme staff in charge of booking will search for or request the best options for the flight itinerary in terms of costs and flight duration, transit time, and transit airport location within the projected budget. Especially in cases where the flight itinerary entails a total cost of above USD 2,000, it is important that at least three quotations are stored in Share2 to be shared with the Finance team when the booking is confirmed.

 

4.11.2. Trusted travel agents

APC works with a set of trusted travel agents that are able to offer diverse options and absorb requests for larger groups when needed. It is recommended to use these agents, as they have long-term contracts with APC and they send the invoice directly to the Finance team, centralising the payment process.

4.11.3. Travel agency ordering numbers sheet

Currently this document is the main register of all bookings made in APC, and it is mandatory to register each booking at the moment of confirmation. In this way, the information of the booking is communicated to the Finance team and they are able to identify invoices and pay for the services.

Travel Agency Ordering Numbers Sheets folder.

4.11.4. Bookings made by authorised staff

Only the Ops core team and Ops programme staff can book tickets through the trusted travel agents. All booking requests must be made through the Logistics Registration Survey or the APC Individual Travel Form. Once these requests are received, the Ops core team and Ops programme staff with authorisation or credentials will request options from the trusted travel agencies to offer to participants, and they will be in charge of confirming the bookings once the participants select an option.

4.11.5. Bookings made by participants

In some cases, participants are allowed to book their own tickets. This is generally the case for METF grantees who take care of their own travel arrangements and choose to get the advance funds or reimbursement. Likewise in the case for some staff members who prefer to book their own flight tickets or partners ask about this possibility and the coordination team agrees. In these cases, it is important to provide participants with the budget for their specific flight ticket and let them know that any cost overruns should be borne by them and that for flights itinerary costing above USD 2,000, they need to attach three quotations as part of their reimbursement request.

4.11.6. Local travel in origin country

Local travel refers to any means of transportation needed to get from the participants’ home to the airport. This can involve airport shuttles or other ground transport, but also flights within the origin country.

APC is usually able to confirm flight tickets between international airports, but booking local flights can be a more difficult task to even with our trusted travel agents.

The fixed amount to cover for a participant’s local travel is USD 100, a sum that is expected to cover for a return trip to the airport in any country. But as we recognise the different contexts of each participant, they may request reimbursement of the total local travel by presenting receipts as support documentation. This can also include local flights that APC is not able to book.

4.11.7. Ground transportation in destination country

There are several approaches on how to plan transportation for participants on arrival and for departure in the country where the convening is taking place.

• Participants find their own transportation. This is an option especially recommended for locations with good public transport or where getting a taxi is easy. When this option is used, it is important to calculate a fixed amount for the round trip to the airport and add it to the specific event policy so the participants do not have to keep receipts.
• Accommodation provides airport shuttles. This option is available most of the times, but unfortunately only in a few cities is this services free of charge. However, even if APC has to pay for the service, it is recommended to plan with the hotel where participants are staying so that payment can be included in the overall event invoice.
• Hiring an external vendor to provide airport shuttles. Sometimes the taxi service offered by the hotel are too expensive, or APC selects a location that is more than 90 minutes away from the airport and the hotel cannot take care of the transportation. In these cases, it is necessary to find possible external providers and go through the procurement process to compare three quotations and signing a contract. The convenings lead and or programme operations staff or on-site logistics coordinator is responsible for locating the vendors, but the Ops programme staff is responsible for finalising the procurement, contracting and payment process.

4.11.8. Transportation schedule

When organising ground transportation in the destination country, it is necessary to create transportation schedules to communicate the time of arrival and departures, the type of vehicles hired and the group arrangements to the service provider. This task is the responsibility of the convenings lead, Ops programme staff or the on-site logistics coordinator.

You may find the transportation schedule template in the Logistics Mainsheet.